Magnetism in hydrogenated YBa2Cu3O7 a comparison of μSR and NMR results

Hydrogenated YBa₂Cu₃O₇ with [H]/cell=2.0 was studied by X-ray diffraction, SR and¹H-NMR. For the first time, the hydride phase (16% larger c-axis) known from thin film experiments was seen in a bulk sample. A comparison of the SR and NMR results shows that the 15 mT site (2 MHz in SR) is the stable position for the proton and muon. The three other muon sites (4 MHz line and two exponentially decaying components) are metastable.     

Critical behavior of electric field gradient in MnSi studied by muon level-crossing resonance

The electric quadrupole interaction of⁵⁵Mn nuclei was studied in the weakly ferromagnetic system MnSi using muon level-crossing resonance (LCR) technique. The temperature dependence of the electric field gradient (EFG) shows a critical behavior near the ferromagnetic transition temperature, indicating that the EFG due to the conduction electron is strongly correlated with the magnetic susceptibility in the itinerant electron magnetism. The temperature dependence of EFG is in reasonable agreement with the self-consistent renormalization theory developed by Moriya and coworkers.We gratefully acknowledge helpful discussion with Dr. N. Nishida. We also wish to thank Keith Hoyle and Curtis Ballard for technical support.     

Sodium self-diffusion coefficient in sodium silicate glass by quasielastic neutron scattering

Using pulsed neutrons of 19.8 Å wavelength a quasielastic line broadening as low as 0.03 eV (FWHM) has been observed due to Na⁺ diffusion in the glass Na₂O·2SiO₂. From the linewidths a Na⁺ self-diffusion coefficient of 3.1·10^–8 cm²/s at 420°C was obtained in excellent agreement with the diffusion coefficient determined for the same sample batch using²²Na radioactive tracers. The experimental Q dependence of the quasielasic linewidths gives a hint for deviations from a purely random walk in an ionic glass.     

Separation and implantation of relativistic86Kr-fragments at the FrS; half-life measurement by ion-β time-correlations

Neutron-rich Co and Fe isotopes produced by⁸⁶Kr projectile fragmentation at 500 MeV/u were separated and identified using the fragment separator (FrS) in a bunched energy mode.⁶⁶Co and⁶⁵Fe ions were selectively implanted in a double PIN-diode array where the-decay signals were measured. The half-lives were deduced from time correlations between implantation and-decay signals. The remeasurement of the⁶⁶Co half-life confirms the isotope identification. The value of the⁶⁵Fe half-life was found to be 0.45±0.15 s.     

Development of a beam of very slow polarized muons

During the last few decades, a variety of methods has been developed which makes use of polarized positive muons as a microscopic probe of the magnetic properties of condensed matter (muon spin rotation, relaxation, resonance,SR). Until now, available beams for SR studies have delivered 100% polarized muons with energies in the MeV range, resulting in a deep penetration of the muons into the sample material under investigation. This presently limits the applications of theSR technique to the study of the bulk characteristics of matter. To be able to control the implantation depth, a very low energy beam of polarized muons is being developed at the Paul Scherrer Institute. Very slow polarized muons (kinetic energy 10 eV, polarization 90%) are obtained from the moderation of a high energy muon beam in a thin film of an appropriate condensed gas. These muons can be used as a source for a beam of tunable energy between a few tens of eV and some tens of keV. Implantation depths in the range of few to a few hundreds of nanometers can thus be achieved by varying the energy.     

Selective determination of oxygenates in complex samples with the O-FID analyzer

A gas-chromatographic analyzer allowing the selective detection of individual oxygenates in complex organic mixtures, such as gasolines, is described. The analyzer is based on the oxygen-specific response flame ionization detection (O-FID) method. The system operates with capillary columns and includes a cracking reactor to convert any oxygenate to carbon monoxide and a special FID equipped with a microreactor for the catalytic hydro-genation of CO and detection as methane. Hydrocarbons give no signal. The selectivity of the method is better than 1:10⁷ and the linear range approaches 10⁵. The analysis of modern fuels containing oxygenated additives, to improve octane ratings, may greatly benefit from the proposed analytical method.     

Synthesis of a symmetrical dithiirane

The reaction of p-xylene with epichlorohydrin in the presence of aluminum chloride gave 1,4-dimethyl-2,5-bis(1-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl)benzene, which serves as the starting compound for the synthesis of the corresponding symmetrical dithiirane.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 10, pp. 1319–1321, October, 1985.